Upgradng cabin top winch to electric- more economically!

Nodak7 · Aug 15, 2018

Eianm, I just completed this modification on our 41 and indeed it was expensive. But more than worth it! Though I considered what you are asking about, knowing what I know now, I would steer clear of it. It is more than just the motor it is the gearing that goes along with it. Additionally, we use ours to hoist people (me) up the mast. With the Admiral down below. It then becomes a safety item. I would be uncomfortable doing that if I knew I had cobbled something together to try an save a few dollars. Just my humble opinion.

Don S/V ILLusion · Aug 15, 2018

Saving money is always good but if that's your goal, do the install yourself. There are ample diy video and written examples requiring no special skills or tools.

4arch · Aug 15, 2018

I see OP is in AU so this probably won't apply. But for US-based members reading this, once a year West Marine has a BOGO sale on Lewmar electric winches. If you can find a friend (or member of this forum) willing to split the order, you can essentially buy the winch at half price.

jviss · Aug 15, 2018

@eianm , you are a man after my own heart! I have considered the same. I would love to convert my Harken 32.2.ST cabin-top halyard winch to electric, but no conversion kit supports this one.

The starter motor should work, especially the kind as is used on my old Kubota D850, which has not a conventional Bendix drive, but a solenoid-driven fork that pushes the pinion into engagement.

I would want a right-angle drive, though, so I can enclose the motor in the aft cabin overhead.

Let's brainstorm!

artboas · Aug 15, 2018

eianm said:
On my passage 42 I have always lusted after an electric upgrade for my main cabin top winch. At a recent boat show I was quoted over $2000 for the upgrade kit - and that did not include installation. I got to thinking- when I look at the size of the factory receptacle for the motor and consider its job and how if will be used, I am starting to wonder if I could modify a 12v starter motor. Has anyone ever toyed with this as a project??
Looking forward to informed - helpful feedback!

Good thought, but it won't work
The motor it's only one part of the kit, and the simplist. There are several pawl and ratchet pieces, few gears, etc.
Basically, somebody spent a lot of time and money engineering the motorized drive. It is illogical to try and reinvent the wheel on this project.
Here is an interesting tidbit though.
A friend of mine wanted his cabin top electric lewmars to be 2 speed under power
Now, harken has 2 speed power winches, but they sorta cheat.
What harken does is drive the winch handle socket from underneath with a spring loaded spline shaft.
When you insert a winch handle, it disconnects the motor drive.
So, with the harken winches, if you reverse the direction of the DC motor, you will have the second speed. The motors are higher speed, with far less torque.
They use a much smaller motor than lewmars, because they are driving through the winch handle, which is highly reduced.
So, what I did was get 12v 400 amp speed contollers, and with some relay logic have a high & low speed for the lewmar 48s. Looked neat, and worked perfectly.

Nodak7 · Aug 16, 2018

artboas said:
Good thought, but it won't work
The motor it's only one part of the kit, and the simplist. There are several pawl and ratchet pieces, few gears, etc.
Basically, somebody spent a lot of time and money engineering the motorized drive. It is illogical to try and reinvent the wheel on this project.
Here is an interesting tidbit though.
A friend of mine wanted his cabin top electric lewmars to be 2 speed under power
Now, harken has 2 speed power winches, but they sorta cheat.
What harken does is drive the winch handle socket from underneath with a spring loaded spline shaft.
When you insert a winch handle, it disconnects the motor drive.
So, with the harken winches, if you reverse the direction of the DC motor, you will have the second speed. The motors are higher speed, with far less torque.
They use a much smaller motor than lewmars, because they are driving through the winch handle, which is highly reduced.
So, what I did was get 12v 400 amp speed contollers, and with some relay logic have a high & low speed for the lewmar 48s. Looked neat, and worked perfectly.

Art how and where did you mount the speed controller?

seadaddler · Aug 16, 2018

I did order the Lewmar conversion kit when West Marine had their once a year bogo sale
and was so much cheaper than 2 new complete units.
The conversion kit uses your exsisting winches and comes with everything else needed,
my winches worked just fine and my Hunter36 is a 07 and so they like new and the kit comes with new drive motor and everything and only need to buy cables.
Nick

Nodak7 · Aug 16, 2018

seadaddler said:
I did order the Lewmar conversion kit when West Marine had their once a year bogo sale
and was so much cheaper than 2 new complete units.
The conversion kit uses your exsisting winches and comes with everything else needed,
my winches worked just fine and my Hunter36 is a 07 and so they like new and the kit comes with new drive motor and everything and only need to buy cables.
Nick

Nick, I installed ours a couple of years ago and what a wonderful difference it has made! Makes life so much easier. Furling and unfurling, raising people on the mast and raising the dinghy are so much easier now! The best thing I have ever done on Wild Oats!

artboas · Aug 16, 2018

Nodak7 said:
Art how and where did you mount the speed controller?

Good question
I did the dreaded job of opening up the ceiling material, and put the controllers up in the ceiling.
I first epoxied a wooden backing plate so that I'd have a surface to mount to.
This also worked well because it was right in front of where the winch switches were mounted
There were 2 speeds: 1/2 & full. This was setup & tested before the ceiling material was put back up

seadaddler · Aug 18, 2018

I have not had a chance to finish the install yet but did decide on the electric winch
for all winching on the boat even dinghy.
I guess I never thought I would need electric winches but getting older and bad back has
made me add them after seeing a friend add them on his boat and the WM bogo made it easy
to do so.
When I get Bach to Florida I will be finishing the install.
Nick

Valerio · Aug 20, 2018

The electric handels that makes electric any winch, do they work?

seadaddler · Aug 20, 2018

I think you will find some like them and some don’t.
Nick

seadaddler · Aug 20, 2018

When I get back to Florida Sept I will show photo’s of the parts
needed to make a winch electric.
I got the conversion kit for Lewmar winch and a lot cheaper than a complete new winch and I am sure after you see how Lewmar
makes these winches and the parts you will give up ever thinking
you can DIY.
Go on Lewmar web site and you can see some of the parts,I have very thick fiberglass and backing plates where the winches are mounted and had to order extensions from Lewmar.
All those Hunter haters should see how much better than my friends Catalina who told me he had to add more backing plates
for his winches.
Nick

Nodak7 · Aug 26, 2018

eianm, this should be what you need for your conversion. I believe that it is the one I purchased for my 41DS.
https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=1145605

Daveinet · Aug 26, 2018

Could you make a Windshield wiper motor work? It already has the gearing down, and does not need a ratchet to hold it in place. Not sure if it is strong enough, but thought I would throw the idea out there.

jssailem · Aug 27, 2018

This Aussie company may be able to help with your project.
http://www.arco-winches.com/products/power/bar
Power motor for a Barient winch. Not sure about your winch

Upgradng cabin top winch to electric- more economically!

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